1. What is the Golden Gate?
It is located on the eastern side of the walls of Jerusalem, directly facing the Mount of Olives.
It is the oldest sealed gate of the Old City.
Today it is closed — it was sealed in 1541 by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
In front of it lies a Muslim cemetery, reportedly built to prevent the Messiah, if He is a priest, from entering due to ritual impurity (Numbers 19:11 ; Leviticus 21:1 –2).

📖 2. Biblical Prophecy – Ezekiel 44:1 –3 
Ezekiel 44:1 –2
"Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. The Lord said to me, ‘This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it.’”

📌 Meaning:
According to both Jewish and Christian interpretations, the Eastern Gate is a place of God's presence.
Many rabbis and mystics (e.g., in the Middle Ages) believed that the Messiah would come from the Mount of Olives and pass through this very gate.
His passage would sanctify the gate, and therefore it should remain shut “to everyone else.”

✝️ 3. Christian Interpretation – Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Christians believe that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus when He entered Jerusalem on a donkey:
From the Mount of Olives (i.e., from the east) (Luke 19:37 –38; Matthew 21:1 ect.; Zechariah 9:9 )
"Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey."

📌 According to tradition, He entered through the Golden Gate – even though the Gospels do not mention the gate by name, geographically it would have been the one.

✡️ 4. Jewish Expectation of the Messiah
Many Jewish commentators (especially mystics and Kabbalists) believed that:
The Messiah will enter through the Golden Gate from the east at His coming,
The Shekhinah (Divine Presence) has already passed through it once,
And the gate will remain shut until the Messiah appears again.

🪦 5. Why is there a cemetery in front of the Golden Gate?
A Muslim cemetery was likely established deliberately to:
Prevent the Jewish Messiah from entering (a kohen must not walk among graves),
Create a ritual obstacle to the prophecies.

🧭 Summary
Interpretation    Content
Biblical Basis    - Eastern Gate through which the Lord passed (Ezekiel 44:1 –3)
Jewish Tradition - The Messiah will come from the Mount of Olives and enter through the Golden Gate (Psalm 24:1–10)
Christian View - Jesus fulfilled this prophecy when He entered Jerusalem (Luke 19:37 –38; Matthew 21:1 ect.; Zechariah 9:9 )
Current State - The gate is sealed, a Muslim cemetery lies in front of it, the expectation remains